Residents leave Tas beach as fire passes

After spending much of the day sheltering on a beach from raging bushfires, about 150 residents of northwest Tasmania have been relocated by boat.

A 7000-hectare blaze that has been burning for days posed a threat to holiday shacks at the small communities of Temma, Arthur River and Nelson Bay, where people were told to evacuate at about 5am (AEDT) on Wednesday.

Many people had nowhere to go but the beach, where they remained until the firefront passed late in the afternoon.

"We have no confirmed losses of private property, although there may be some damage," a Tasmania Fire Service spokeswoman told AAP.

"There have been no major injuries and no stock losses."

Boats collected residents and some stranded fire crews from the beach, just south of Arthur River.

Residents were being permitted to return to their properties on Wednesday evening with bridges reopened to local traffic.

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Winds of up to 60km/h fuelled the blaze for much of Wednesday and as it burns through peat bog, authorities are forecasting it will burn for many more days.

"We are not going to be putting these fires out," the spokeswoman said.

"We are very much in a defensive position, trying to establish containment lines and protect property and people that may come under threat."

The fire is believed to be one of more than 70 started by a dry lightning strike a fortnight ago.

A fire in the Cradle Valley in central Tasmania has prompted the closure of the popular Overland Track until next Wednesday, February 3, and access to Cradle Mountain has also been shut.

Parks and Wildlife Service boss Peter Mooney said there is no immediate danger to visitors but wants to avoid any risk.

The spate of recent fires includes blazes in 34 reserves and across an estimated 11,380 hectares of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

"While life and property is always the priority of the co-operative firefighting effort, (agencies are) working closely to prioritise protection of high-value areas within the reserve system," Mr Mooney said.

Forty helicopters and six fixed-wing aircraft are part of the statewide firefighting effort with interstate crews also helping the battle.

On Thursday a team of some 40 firefighters from New Zealand will start arriving in Tasmania.